PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Winds gusting to more than 60 miles per hour in a harsh May storm are blamed for knocking out power to more than 45,000 Oregon customers on Wednesday.
National Weather Service meteorologist Stephen Starmer says Forest Grove west of Portland recorded a 73 mph gust and a 68 mph gust hit the coast near Waldport. He says gusts from 50-60 mph were reported elsewhere along the coast and in the Willamette Valley.
Pacific Power spokesman Art Sasse (Sassy) says his utility’s most significant outage affected about 37,500 customers in the Albany-Corvallis area. Most had power restored in about an hour.
Portland General Electric spokeswoman Elaina Medina reported more than 8,000 customers without power at one point Wednesday.
Oregon Transportation Department officials say a tree fell across U.S. 26 Wednesday evening at Brightwood southeast of Portland, temporarily closing the highway in both directions.
